Post a Day in May For Mental Health Awareness – May 28th – NAMI

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Motto: “YOU ARE NOT ALONE”

Founded:1979

Headquarters:Arlington County, VA

Founders:Harriet Shetler, Beverly Young

About NAMI

Who We Are

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

What started as a small group of families gathered around a kitchen table in 1979 has blossomed into the nation’s leading voice on mental health. Today, we are an association of hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations and volunteers who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need.

What We Do

We educate. Offered in thousands of communities across the United States through NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates, our education programs ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals and educators get the support and information they need.

We advocate. NAMI shapes national public policy for people with mental illness and their families and provides volunteer leaders with the tools, resources and skills necessary to save mental health in all states.

We listen. Our toll-free NAMI HelpLine allows us to respond personally to hundreds of thousands of requests each year, providing free referral, information and support—a much-needed lifeline for many.

We lead. Public awareness events and activities, including Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks, successfully fight stigma and encourage understanding. NAMI works with reporters on a daily basis to make sure our country understands how important mental health is.

There Is A Virus Spreading Across The Country. It’s Stigma. Do You Have It?

May 01 2018

During the month of May, NAMI will observe Mental Health Month to raise awareness of mental illness. One in five adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition.

This year, NAMI is launching “CureStigma” a new campaign that builds on the successful #StigmaFree initiative and positions stigma as a “social virus” that is spreading across America. Stigma is a sign or sense of disgrace that sets someone apart from others. Navigating life with a mental health condition can be tough, and the isolation and blame that is often encouraged by stigma can create huge challenges to moving forward in one’s recovery journey.

“Stigma is dangerous for the millions of Americans affected by mental health conditions. It causes people to feel ashamed for something that is out of their control, prevents them from seeking help, and even takes lives,” said Mary Giliberti, CEO of NAMI. “Although stigma is a virus that anyone can be exposed to, we do have a cure, and that is compassion and understanding. We need to talk openly and raise our voices, so we can put an end to the fear and shame, and cure stigma once and for all.”

The campaign incorporates a new series of nationwide public service announcements (PSA) featuring NAMI Celebrity Ambassadors from film, television, music, and sports including Utkarsh Ambudkar, Andrea Barber, Maurice Bernard, Corinne Foxx, Clark Gregg, Jamie Gray Hyder, AJ Mendez, Sonya Nichols, Mauro Ranallo and Stolar. The PSA encourages viewers to visit curestigma.org, where visitors can take a brief quiz to see if they “are infected” by stigmatizing beliefs. Visitors will also receive information about how to “spread the cure” and will gain free access to a special emoji/sticker pack for their mobile phones.

Key mental health statistics include:

1 in 5 adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition.

1 in 25 (10 million) adults in the United States lives with a serious mental illness.

60 million people in the United States face the day-to-day reality of living with a mental illness.

Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75 percent by age 24, but early intervention programs can help.

“The perception of mental illness won’t change unless we act to change it. So during Mental Health Month, we are asking everyone to join with NAMI to #CureStigma,” said Giliberti.

For additional information about Mental Health Month, to take the CureStigma quiz and to access CureStigma resources, please visit curestigma.org.

Prevalence Of Mental Illness

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.

Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million, or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%.

1.1% of adults in the U.S. live with schizophrenia.

2.6% of adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder.

6.9% of adults in the U.S.—16 million—had at least one major depressive episode in the past year.

18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and specific phobias.

Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance use disorder, 50.5%—10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.

Social Stats

An estimated 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness and an estimated 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

Approximately 20% of state prisoners and 21% of local jail prisoners have “a recent history” of a mental health condition.

70% of youth in juvenile justice systems have at least one mental health condition and at least 20% live with a serious mental illness.

Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness, 62.9% received mental health services in the past year.

Just over half (50.6%) of children aged 8-15 received mental health services in the previous year.

African Americans and Hispanic Americans each use mental health services at about one-half the rate of Caucasian Americans and Asian Americans at about one-third the rate.

Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14; three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatment, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.

Consequences Of Lack Of Treatment

Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults aged 18–44.

Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having chronic medical conditions. Adults in the U.S. living with serious mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than others, largely due to treatable medical conditions.

Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14­–21 and older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of any disability group.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.,the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–14and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 15–24.22

More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition.

It is crucial and imperative for all of us to get involved and save lives.

So, please visit my blog every day, but especially every day throughout the month of May.

Mental illness awareness and education can save lives.

Opening the dialogue about mental illness can save lives.

Sharing your story can save lives.

Please see my post about my new campaign titled, “There’s Glory in Sharing Your Story.” I need your help and hope you will be interested in participating in my new campaign. Thank you for checking it out.

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Published by my loud whispers of hope

I share my story openly and honestly to educate others and increase the awareness of mental illness, reduce stigma, prevent suicide, to inspire, give hope and let God's love shine through me and touch you.
I finished writing, proofreading and editing my memoir in January of 2019. I am in the process of sending my manuscript to agents and publishers that accept unsolicited maunscripts. I pray my words will turn into a book that will inspire and spark joy and hope in the lives of many. Recovery and healing are possible. I am living proof.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." ~Maya Angelou
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